Going to the West

In this fair land,I cannot stay,Here labor is in vainI'll leave the mountains of my birthto seek the fertile plains,I'm going to the West. -Traditional folk song

The title of this site was inspired by Bill Staines' recording of the traditional folk song, Going to the West, on his album of the same name. Like most Americans, my German ancestors and my wife's Scotch-Irish ancestors came to the New World looking for opportunity, and over generations spread westward across the country. This site will try to provide some information on those early immigrants, the families they built in the New World, and the families they left behind.